Thomas A. Nottingham

May 13, 2000|Compiled by Tiffany Hill and Norman Tippens

HAMPTON — Thomas Alphonso Nottingham, the son of Thomas B. Nottingham and the late Jessie Lively Nottingham, was born November 29, 1950, in Hampton. Our compassionate Tom was called by God on Tuesday, May 9, 2000, after living a life that touched so many. The footprints of his journey and the lasting impression he made on everyone he came in contact with will be remembered by his family and friends. He will be deeply missed.

Tom attended Old Phenix Elementary School and Y.H. Thomas Junior High School, and was an honor graduate of Phenix High School's class of 1968. As a scholarly youth and athlete, Tom had a passion for competitive sports. In addition, he participated in the Wine Street and Third Baptist Church youth programs, the Boy Scouts, Little League baseball and scholastic football, basketball and tennis. Tom's business talent began as a teenager while employed at Proctor's Hardware on Queen Street in old downtown Hampton. His leadership talent started in his role as the quarterback for the fighting baby Pirates championship team, which was the last graduating class of Phenix High School. Based on his athletic and academic performance, Tom received full scholarship offers from several major universities and decided to attend Southern Illinois University. While attending college, he met and married Jena Jacquelyn Freeman. He graduated in 1972 from the School of Business with a degree in marketing.

After graduation, Tom started his corporate career with Mobil Corporation as a Regional Marketing Representative. God blessed their family with two beautiful daughters, Marniee Lanise and Danielle Carron. Anyone who knew Tom understood how unabashedly proud he was of his girls. The oldest, Marniee, graduated from the University of Michigan's business school and plans to pursue her master's in business administration at Duke University. Danielle is a recent graduate of Syracuse University and is currently attending graduate school at the University of North Carolina. His daughters were the lights of his life.

In 1989, Tom joined the Federal Express Corporation's management team as a Senior Personnel Representative in Newark, N.J. Subsequently, he was promoted to Manager of Personnel Services and relocated to Memphis, Tenn., in 1995. He assumed increasing responsibility and was relocated again in 1998 to his home state and was promoted to Manager of Personnel Services for the Mid-Atlantic Region. Tom's compassion, leadership and management capabilities were recognized and appreciated by many, as evidenced in the numerous recognitions he received at Federal Express, which included the Flame Award for leadership, the Customer Service Award and the Five Star Award for Excellence, one of the highest national honors for the company.

On May 5, 2000, just four days before he passed, Tom received a Federal Express Letter of Accomplishment which stated: "You have proven that you possess the skills required of a leader: openness of communication, clarity of expectation, fairness, feedback and involvement of your employees." Although Tom's journey had a sudden ending, he was a compassionate role model and leader. He knew that it takes the best in each of us to bring out the best in all of us.

Tom managed to epitomize the best. This man among men gave his best.

Some people come into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime and leave love in their footprints. Tom had a passion for living and certainly left his mark with his special brand of humor, his practical jokes, his ability to surprise, his hard work and his generosity of spirit.

Those he left behind to continue the journey toward the best include his daughters, Marniee and Danielle Nottingham of Cherry Hill, N.J.; former wife, Jena Nottingham of Cherry Hill; father, Thomas B. Nottingham of Hampton; sister, Patricia Nottingham Dzandu of Hampton; brother and sister-in- law, Dana A. Nottingham and Angela Barnes Nottingham of Centreville; aunts, Ellen Lively Bolling of Hampton, Pearl Lively Bailey of Washington, D.C., and Lilyan Nottingham of Baltimore, Md.; mother-in- law, Lorraine Frost of Pine Bluff, Ark.; in-laws, Glenn and Barbra Freeman of Lexa, Ark., Sharon and Tyree Vaughn of Atlanta, Ga., Travis Frost of Houston, Texas, Jeanette Frost of Pine Bluff, Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Beatty of Chicago, Ill., Mr. and Mrs. Willie Moore of Chicago, Mrs. Eloise Head of Chicago, Mrs. Atoria Helms of Pine Bluff, and Mr. and Mrs. Jasper Dickerson of Pine Bluff; seven nieces, two nephews and one great-nephew; cousins; and a host of other relatives and friends.

Tom demonstrated his love with fervor and excellence. How thankful and blessed we were to have traveled this journey with him; our hearts have been gladdened, our lives enriched and our spirits uplifted.

The funeral service will be conducted at noon on Monday, May 15, at Third Baptist Church, 1214 Victoria Blvd., Hampton. Interment will follow in Hampton Memorial Gardens. Viewing for Mr. Notthingham will be from 10 a.m. until the hour of the service on Monday at the church. Family and friends will assemble at the church by 11:30 a.m. on Monday.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to Y.H. Thomas Alumni Association Incorporated, Kids Cafe Tutorial Program, P.O. Box 69081, Hampton, VA 23669. The contact person is Sheila Williams, 757-726-5438.